With back out, Stecker's carrying the load

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their only Super Bowl after the 2002 season, Aaron Stecker was a key contributor.
Stecker was the Bucs' primary kick returner, running back 37 for 934 yards, a 25.2-yard average.
And while Stecker ran the ball just 28 times that season, his 6.2 per-carry average was the best among Tampa Bay's running backs. But two years later, Stecker had joined the Saints as a free agent, leaving behind the team that gave him his opportunity to break into the NFL as a practice squad player in 1999 in hopes that he could become more than just a special-teamer and part-time running back.

Today at the Superdome, Stecker likely will be a more visible part of the Saints' offense, based on what transpired last week against Carolina when he had a team-high 13 carries, his most in a game since the 2005 season when he was again filling in for an injured Deuce McAllister.
And because the opponent will be the Buccaneers, Stecker will, as always, be well-prepared.
"Yeah, I played there for five years and I still know a lot of those core guys over there," Stecker said this week. "Every time I get a chance to play against them, I study a little harder, look at the film a little more and make sure I'm on top of my game. Because every time I play them, I've got something to prove. I'm just looking forward to playing in this game. It's going to be a good game this week."
A consummate professional, Stecker prepares each week as though he'll be the featured back in the Saints' offense, as involved in the regular personnel groupings as Reggie Bush has been since McAllister went out for the season with a knee injury against Tennessee in Week 3.
Yet it wasn't until last week at Carolina that Stecker finally emerged as the primary tailback in the Saints' offense, assuming the role that McAllister had so nicely filled in 2006 while Bush performed a complementary function as a receiver/decoy/runner that fueled the Saints' rise to the top of the league's offenses.
Still, Stecker remained patient, working each week and waiting for his opportunity, the same way he did it in Tampa Bay under the watchful eye of Bucs Coach Jon Gruden.
"I really like him," Gruden said this week, "not only as player, but as a guy. He was one of my favorites. He could do anything. He could go out there and play fullback. He could play tailback. You could detach him. He could play out there in the slot.
"He was a hell of a return guy and a great (special teams) coverage guy. He's really just a good team guy, and he's just a hell of a football player and a great guy. The Saints are lucky to have him."
Words not lost on Stecker's current teammates.
"He's awesome," quarterback Drew Brees said. "He's just a ballplayer. You could put him anywhere on the field and he would be able to do the job, probably offense or defense. He is one of those guys that you love as a teammate. He works extremely hard, he is tough and fights through injuries, just plays a huge role for us on this team. You don't get voted captain unless everyone likes and respects you.
"We can do a lot of things with him. His versatility allows us to do that. He's such a great weapon. If anything ever happens and he needs to fill in, it's just 'Hey, Steck, get out there and run this route. Steck, get in the backfield and do this. Block this guy.' He does a little bit of everything."
It is that jack-of-all-trades resourcefulness and grinding work-ethic that endears Stecker to those around him and has allowed him to cobble out a career that includes a Super Bowl ring and a roster spot on teams loaded with talent, as well as Stecker's currently expanding role in New Orleans' offensive game plan.
Gruden, for one, thinks Stecker has the capability to be an every-down back in the NFL.
"Some guys just need an opportunity," Gruden said. "If you look at (current Bucs tailback) Ernest Graham. We lost Cadillac (Williams). We lost Mike Pittman. We lost (Mike) Alstott. Ernest Graham's done quite well given his chance.
"Aaron has been utilized more with the injury to Deuce. You see production. You see a good football player who stands in there, picks up blitzes. He catches the football. He can run with it. We all need guys like Stecker.
"Those are the guys at the end of the season who make a lot of plays you tend to forget about. Most of the time he's not going to create the 'SportsCenter' plays some of the others will. But you want something done with quality, you call on guys like that."
Before the start of the 2007 season, Stecker was elected one of the Saints' team captains by his peers, an honor he said that caught him off guard.
"It meant a lot," Stecker said, "and it still means a lot. It meant the guys, my teammates, obviously thought of me at a high level. It's a big honor to be selected. I felt a bit overwhelmed at the time. I didn't know guys on the team felt and looked at me as one of the leaders on the team. But I embrace it, and I'm glad I have the opportunity to be a captain."
Today against the Bucs, Stecker said, he'll just continue to practice the patience he has acquired throughout his NFL career while waiting for the chance to prove his worth.
"I think early in my career when I got my opportunities, I was always trying to, 'Go score, go score,' " he said. "Now, I realize sometimes the best runs are maybe 4-yard runs that help the offense out.
"If you're thinking about the big play all the time, you might miss something that might be just as big. I've been in the league for a long time, and I've been in this situation before. That has prepared me to understand that you might not be able to get into that rhythm, but when your number is called, you've got to make a play.
"This situation feels good now. I've always been behind a good running back who stayed healthy and didn't get hurt. I always knew when I got the opportunity, I wanted to take full advantage. Now that I'm getting my opportunity, I want to show them I can handle the load."

Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3814.